Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga — రాజవిద్యా రాజగుహ్య యోగం
34 verses · The Royal Knowledge, the Royal Secret
Krishna reveals the supreme secret: he is the soul of every being, the cause of all existence, yet he is not bound by it (he is in the world but not of it). Devotees who think of him constantly, who worship him with single-minded faith, never perish. This is the highest, most secret teaching of the Vedas.
Key Verse
अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते — Those who worship Me with single-minded devotion.
Ananyāś cintayanto māṃ ye janāḥ paryupāsate
అనన్యమైన ధ్యానంతో నన్ను ఆరాధించేవారు
Spiritual Lesson
Yoga-Kshema — Krishna himself takes care of what such devotees need (yoga = what they lack, kshema = preservation of what they have).
Where Chapter 9 sits in the Bhagavad Gita
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga is the 9th of the Bhagavad Gita's eighteen chapters and runs to 34 verses. The longest of the eighteen is Chapter 18 at 78 verses and the shortest are Chapter 12 and Chapter 15 at 20 verses, so this one sits in the middle of that range. Its name is written రాజవిద్యా రాజగుహ్య యోగం in Telugu, and in English it is given as the Royal Knowledge, the Royal Secret.
It follows Chapter 8, Akshara Brahma Yoga, the Imperishable Brahman, and runs on into Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga, the Divine Glories. The eighteen chapters are one continuous conversation rather than eighteen separate readings, so a chapter read on its own carries the argument of the one before it. All eighteen chapters are listed here.
Questions about Chapter 9
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9?
Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga, has 34 verses. Chapter lengths across the Gita are uneven, and this page publishes the count for this chapter alone rather than a running total, because editions differ over how one chapter is numbered.
What does Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga mean?
In English it is given as the Royal Knowledge, the Royal Secret. The name is written రాజవిద్యా రాజగుహ్య యోగం in Telugu. Chapter names in the Gita describe what the chapter is about rather than acting as titles a reader has to decode.
Which chapter comes before and after Chapter 9?
Before: Chapter 8, Akshara Brahma Yoga — The Imperishable Brahman. After: Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga — The Divine Glories. The Gita is a single conversation, so the chapters are numbered in the order they are spoken and are meant to be read that way.